The Silent Dude in Penn & Teller Is Directing a Film About Vermeer

Teller of comedy/illusionist team Penn & Teller doesn't say a lot in his duo's performances, but apparently he has a lot to say about fine art. He is releasing a documentary entitled Tim's Vermeer all about the classic painter. Astonishingly it has been picked up by Sony Pictures Classics for distribution (because, as a celebrity, you can do just about anything).

Sony Pictures announced yesterday that it had acquired rights to the nonfiction film directed by Teller. The movie will tell the story of Texas-based inventor Tim Jenison who discusses how Jan Vermeer painted photo-realistic works a century and a half before photography existed, which is definitely something that should be explained on the big screen. Jenison visits the places the classic painter worked and even talks with British artist David Hockney about his theory about Vermeer's methods.

The very talkative Penn Jillette said in a statement: “My buddy, Tim Jenison, told me over supper he was going to try to paint a Vermeer. Tim is a genius, but I’m a skeptic. I wanted to see him do it. Teller has been the Penn & Teller de facto director since our beginnings, so we made a movie of Tim’s whole monomaniacal trip. Having Sony Pictures Classics as the first words on the screen means it’s more than just a couple of Vegas magicians and an eccentric inventor in his garage. Now it’s a real film that will change the history of art.”